
Predicted Air Conditioning (AC) Prevalence by ZIP Code Tabulation Area (ZCTA) – 2000, 2010, and 2020

This dataset provides modeled estimates of air conditioning (AC) prevalence across ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs) in the United States for the years 2010, 2015, and 2020. The estimates were generated using predictive models trained on housing characteristics from 2021 to capture contemporary AC conditions, while aligning the output to historical ZCTA boundaries for robust longitudinal comparisons.

To improve consistency with known housing stock, predicted counts of AC types were adjusted to match the total number of housing units per ZCTA using data from the Decennial Census as archived and processed by the National Historical Geographic Information System (NHGIS) 
Each dataset was sourced at the ZCTA-level:

- 2020: NHGIS Dataset 2020_DHC_P&H, Table H1, field FKI001 – Total housing units
- 2015: NHGIS Dataset 2010_SF1a, Table H1, field IFC001 – Total housing units
- 2010: NHGIS Dataset 2010_SF1a, Table H1, field IFC001 – Total housing units

Finn Roberts, and Steven Ruggles.
        IPUMS National Historical Geographic Information System: Version 19.0 
        [dataset]. Minneapolis, MN: IPUMS. 2024. 
        http://doi.org/10.18128/D050.V19.0

Adjustments:

- For each ZCTA, predicted counts of housing units with a specific AC type were proportionally scaled to match the known housing unit total from Decennial Census summary files.
- The final dataset includes adjusted counts and percentages that reflect these corrections.

Data Fields:

Each file includes the following variables:

- GEOID: Unique geographic identifier.
- ZCTA: 5-digit ZIP Code Tabulation Area.
- ACtype: The type of air conditioning unit (e.g., Central, Window, NoAC).
- Adjusted_Count: The number of housing units in the ZCTA predicted to have the given ACtype, after adjustment.
- Adjusted_Percentage: The proportion of total housing units in the ZCTA with the given ACtype, rounded to two decimal places.

Coordinate Reference System:

These datasets are not spatial files and do not contain geometries. However, they align with the U.S. Census Bureau’s ZCTA definitions for 2010, 2015, and 2020.

File Names:

- summary_zcta_adjusted_2010.csv
- summary_zcta_adjusted_2015.csv
- summary_zcta_adjusted_2020.csv

Each file corresponds to a different decennial boundary and housing summary reference year.

Citation:
If you use this dataset, please cite:
Ahn, Y. & Uejio, C. (2025). A Comprehensive Dataset of Residential Air Conditioning Prevalence in the Continental United States. [Data file].

Contact:
Yoonjung Ahn
Department of Geography & Atmospheric Science
University of Kansas
yoonjung.ahn@ku.edu
